View full sizeFree safety Sterling Young of Hoover has made 70 tackles and intercepted two passes for Arkansas State this season. (Courtesy of Arkansas State University)

JONESBORO, Arkansas -- When Arkansas State plays No. 25 Kent State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl on Jan. 6 in Mobile, the Red Wolves could have the home-field advantage.

Arkansas State will be bringing 14 former Alabama high school standouts back to their home state for the bowl, and if those players can lay their hands on enough tickets, the Red Wolves should have a considerable cheering section of family and friends at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Sophomore free safety Sterling Young of Hoover said coming home is a big deal for Arkansas State's Alabama contingent, even though it's not the first time the Red Wolves have played in the state. It's not even the first time they've played in the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Last season, Arkansas State squared off with Northern Illinois in the Mobile game.

Young said he expected 10 to 12 family and friends to come to Mobile to see him play.

"It's definitely special," Young said. "This is going to be our second time going to Mobile, and we also played at Troy this season. Everybody needs extra tickets. We're all asking our teammates for theirs.

"It's very special to me to play in front of my family and friends."

In addition to Young, the Alabama players on the Arkansas State roster are:

-- Junior linebacker LaAngelo Albright of Prattville.

-- Junior defensive tackle Dexter Blackmon of Selma.

-- Junior defensive tackle Amos Draper of Tanner.

-- Freshman offensive lineman Michael Flint of Oxford.

-- Freshman defensive back Rocky Hayes of Cleburne County.

-- Freshman strong safety Chris Humes of Spain Park.

-- Senior linebacker Don Jones of Hazlewood.

-- Sophomore linebacker Qushaun Lee of Prattville.

-- Junior wide receiver Carlos McCants of LeFlore.

-- Freshman wide receiver J.D. McKissic of Central-Phenix City.

-- Senior tight end Kedric Murry of Pleasant Grove.

-- Freshman offensive tackle Steven Stevens of Baldwin County.

-- Freshman defensive end Chris Stone of Daleville.

View full sizeSterling Young of Hoover stops Foley quarterback Darius Powell during the Riviera Utilities Football Classic on May 16, 2009 in Foley, Ala. (Press-Register file)

Three of the Red Wolves' top five tacklers this season are from Alabama - Lee, Young and Jones. Hayes is the Red Wolves' top kickoff and punt returner. McKissic is ASU's leading receiver with 92 catches in 2012 and was the Sun Belt Conference's Freshman of the Year.

Thirteen Alabama players show up on Arkansas State's two-deep depth chart, even though only two are seniors.

Young couldn't explain why Arkansas State has had such success luring Alabama prep standouts to Jonesboro, Ark. -- "I'm guessing it's a real good recruiting job," he said - but he did know why he chose to attend ASU.

"Arkansas State was one of the first schools to offer me," Young recalled. "I just felt like it was not too big and not too small, and they perform good on the field."

The Sun Belt Conference's other three bowl teams - Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and Western Kentucky - have 13 Alabama players on their rosters combined. Arkansas State's Alabama players are aware of their seemingly high numbers, but they aren't a clique.

"We don't want to call ourselves a club," Young said, "but we do like to make a statement about football in Alabama by playing good football."

Arkansas State comes into the GoDaddy.com Bowl doing just that. After losing three of their first five games, the Red Wolves have run off seven consecutive victories.

Arkansas State started the 2012 season with a new head coach for the second consecutive year. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn took the program's reins after Hugh Freeze departed following one season as the ASU head coach to take the top job at Ole Miss.

"Really, it's just been teamwork and buying into a system," Young said. "With a new head coach and a new coaching staff, we had to make sure everybody bought in and bonded, and then we just progressed and progressed."

Now the Red Wolves are adjusting to another coaching change. Malzahn has moved on to become Auburn's head coach. Bryan Harsin, who had been Texas' co-offensive coordinator, will be Arkansas State's head coach for the 2013 season. For the bowl, defensive coordinator John Thompson has stepped into the interim head coach position.

Young said he didn't expect the coaching changes to be a distraction for the Red Wolves at the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

"I give credit to our senior group," Young said. "They've been through a lot of coaches, and they've made it smooth for the rest of us."